As I say my goodbyes to the past year and a half in Germany and adjust back to my life in the US, I have been reflecting on my last three semesters abroad. Although it took a while to adjust to a new life in Germany, it feels quite weird to be headed back to Rollins. I have noticed so many cultural differences between the two countries and changes in myself over the past few semesters. One of the most striking differences I have noticed has been how the two countries address the concept of failure amongst students.
At the Hochschule Reutlingen, as part of my program, students are able to retake all of their exams for a second time. Additionally, for two courses, students are allowed to retake their exams for a third time. Courses at Reutlingen, especially due to the language barriers, are fundamentally harder to pass. Most of the time, students will fail at least one of their exams during the course of the program.
From my observations, there is a greater acceptance of failure amongst students in Germany. Although no one likes the feeling of failure, it is seen as a learning experience amongst students. Classes are purposefully built to challenge students, and even if students fail the first time, they feel a sense of accomplishment when achieving their goals in the end. Students are able to brush off the failure and get back to work. They keep the same momentum and motivation as before. It is important to note that the acceptance of failure is very specific to academic culture in Germany and may not be applicable to all situations. However, to me, it was one of the most striking aspects I noticed and an overlying thread in many characteristics of German culture.
At first, this acceptance of failure was something that was very hard for me to process or understand. I have always been a perfectionist and have personally had many experiences where failure has not been an option. For the longest time, I connected the idea of failure, along with success, to my personal worth. I was what I put out in the world. However, I started to adopt the German way of thinking during my time in Reutlingen.
At the core of this acceptance of failure is the separation of output from personal worth. A person isn’t their failures, or even their successes. They are just who they are: a culmination of their personality and experiences. This tends to culminate in other aspects of life as well. Germans will oftentimes give critiques, not as an attack on someone’s character, but to learn and grow from said critiques. Nobody is perfect, and these learning experiences, from failure of otherwise, are seen to grow one’s character.
With a deeper understanding of the German acceptance of failure and how Germans view opportunities to learn, I was able to gather a greater resilience for the world. I am able to understand people’s motivations and intentions based on their cultures, and how most people have good intentions, despite cultural misunderstandings. Personally, I was able to come to terms with the concept of failure and let go of some of my unhealthy perfectionism. Studying abroad was truly one of the best experiences I have had in my academic career, and I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to learn and grow these past few semesters.